1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of traffic regulation systems and, more particularly, to a system and method for adapting the traffic light regulation to individual walk speed.
2. Background and Related Art
The management of traffic regulation systems in urban areas, and especially in the crosswalk structures, necessitates the consideration of the speed of motion or walking speed of a pedestrian crossing a roadway.
The role of a traffic control and regulation system is to ensure that road users, and in particular vehicle drivers and pedestrians, can safely move on their infrastructures by reducing the risk of accident, such as through collision.
In developed countries, there exists a number of concepts directed to assisting pedestrians crossing a road at designated points, such as, intersections. These intersections are equipped with safety systems that can be seen by both the drivers and pedestrians, but most of such systems do not allow slower moving pedestrians, like the elderly or people with disabilities, to safely cross the road given the flow of traffic. One well known system allows the pedestrian to change the traffic light for on-coming vehicles from green to red by pressing a button at the crossroad thus creating a “walk” condition. However, there is no way to automatically control the duration of the red traffic light condition once the pedestrian is in the process of crossing the road.
It is known that the aging process causes decline in both musculoskeletal and physical function. For example, common hip and leg impairments, such as arthritis, can limit walking speed comfort and distance. Loss of limb strength, flexibility, sensitivity or range of motion, and reduced ability to rotate the head and neck all can make crossing a road more challenging.
Several research organizations have conducted studies on the safety of the current crossing infrastructures. One such organization is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Such research has produced data on the safety of crossing infrastructures. Data from NHTSA has shown that walkers over the age of 70 have the highest fatality rate of any pedestrians at intersections. NHTSA data has also shown that many older pedestrians walk more slowly than the Federal Highway Administration estimate, which is of 1.2 meters per second. This estimated time is used for regulating the duration of the “flashing walk/don't walk” signals. Consequently, NHTSA recommends the use of slower walking speeds in setting traffic signal times in areas where older “pedestrians are likely to be walking”.
According to this recommendation of NHSTA, a walking speed of 0.9 meters per second is sufficient to cover nearly all walkers, including the elderly people and people with disabilities. It is understood that NHTSA plans to further review research on this matter and may make recommendations to revise pedestrian signal timing to allow for slower walking speeds. However, not every pedestrian requires accommodation for such slower walking speeds.
Accordingly, there is a need for developing a tool to assist slow moving people when crossing a road. Such a tool should consider both the speed of pedestrians and the speed of vehicles at intersections.
The difficulty with present systems is that the majority of slow moving pedestrian have to self-manage their situation when crossing roads. However, it is clear that self-management is not effective in preventing injuries and fatalities to pedestrians.
In summary, the current traffic regulation systems present several drawbacks for slower moving people. For example, although current systems are appropriate for an overall or general population, it is not appropriate for slower moving people. In this regard, the current system is based on pedestrian speed that is the norm, and does not consider the speed as relates to each individual pedestrian. Moreover, the current system is not flexible in that it does not allow variation beyond the norm of the time duration of the “flashing walk/don't walks” signal. That is so because there is no interactive mechanism to facilitate communication of information as to the presence of a slower moving pedestrian and then adjust the traffic control systems accordingly.